Angels Plus Alchemy Equals Hope?
by Ace5980
Summary: 5 years later, Kayla's in a lab, Lela's on the run, and Sonya's trying to resurrect Greed.  Meanwhile, Ed's missing, right when things are revolving around him... Post-series, EdxOC, EnvyxOC, GreedxOC.  Sequel to Chimeras Plus Alchemy Equals Love?
1. 1: Trapped In A Cage

Ace: Fine, greedy readers, here is your chapter! Honestly, why do I even do this any more?

Sonya: 'Cuz you like the reviews.

Ace: Oh yeah...

Kayla: Ace5980 does not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

* * *

1: Trapped in a Cage

Specimen 17 shifted in her cage pitifully, wincing as her long scabs from the whipping rubbed against each other. Glazed yellow eyes followed the movements of the alchemist observing her, unable to summon more than a passing interest with all the drugs in her system. Attention waning, she pulled her dull gray tail close to her dirty fur matted with blood and let her eyes slide shut. Sometimes she didn't know why she remained here, remained alive. Then her nose would find the threadbare piece of red fabric tied around her wrist, and she would remember soft gold and cold metal.

* * *

Lela had been running for five long years. She did not dare to linger in any place in particular, not when she could sense the pursuit so doggedly following her in her flight. She dozed lightly when she'd sleep, unwilling to dream. She did not like the place she visited when she did dream. Her mind's nighttime wanderings always brought her back to that day five years ago when she'd first started running. Sometimes she felt the vaguest urge to stop running, to simply lie down and die. She saw no point in life without her love, her sin, her Envy. So long as she could see him one more time before she died, she would die content.

When she felt the cold, unfeeling hands finding the cat collar she'd kept around her neck and then lifting her up, she almost wept, unsure if it was in relief, joy, or sorrow. She allowed herself to be placed in the middle of the cold plastic floor of a large cat-carrier, not even protesting when they accidentally slammed the tip of her tail in the door. All she did was close her emerald eyes and wait to see what the very next day would bring. If what she was hearing was correct, it was bound to be important; her new captors kept saying she would no doubt prove to be an excellent lens for the sun...

* * *

As his thoughts often did of late, Roy Mustang had Edward Elric on his mind. The blond hadn't been in his right mind after he'd come back from that trip all those years ago without Kayla. Sure, he may have recovered Alphonse's body, but there had been little life in the ex-alchemist the last time Roy had seen him. He didn't talk about it, but it was obvious he was searching for her. Everyone tried to help as much as they could, but the impulsive blond was just too distant and the chimera too impossible to find.

More importantly though, Roy was worried about his ex-subordinate. There had been no contact with anyone, not even Al, in months, and quite frankly, it wasn't hard to imagine the worst. Still, there was nothing they could do. Ed had become prone to isolation these past five years, so the simple fact he hadn't called or written to anyone was hardly cause for alarm. That did not stop Roy, Riza, Havoc, Breda, Falman, Fuery, and even Armstrong from keeping an eye on all incoming police reports and relaying what little information they could find to Al, Hohenheim, Izumi and Sig Curtis, and the Rockbells, but it was a well-known rumor that something horrible must've happened to the man formerly known as the Fullmetal Alchemist.

* * *

"Damn," Sonya growled, looking at the broken lock angrily. "Then alchemists must've gotten here."

Knowledge, who was right behind her in his preferred guise, a brunette version of Roy Mustang, nodded. "Yep. You were only about twelve hours off, you know."

Sonya's sword, Final Judgment, gleamed softly in her hand from the sunlight filtering in through various holes in the dilapidated hovel's roof. "Did they leave anyone behind?"

"No," he sighed, both hating and appreciating the younger angel's methodicalness and militarism. Angels were supposed to be innocent creatures, but Sonya, the embodiment of the angel Justice, was hardly that. She had blood on her hands, a chip on her shoulder, and a deceased sin for a lover. There was no way Justice would be fit to go beyond the Gate anytime in the near future, not when so much darkness and power sat firmly on her slender shoulders, which was actually why Knowledge still hung around. Someone had to teach her how to be a proper angel after all.

"Well," Sonya sighed, willing away her sword, "looks like we're back at square one again."

"Not quite," Knowledge corrected absently. "Lela's being taken to a facility to be used for a kind of horrible experiment, one I'm certain the Military would be more than mildly interested in."

The chimera paused to think about the matter. The two angels knew far more than the Military did, but even their divine power had to bow to sheer numbers, never mind that Justice was technically an escaped Military experiment. On the other hand, working with the Military did dangle quite a big carrot in front of Sonya. "Fine, Knowledge. Who should I contact to settle an alliance with?" she asked, her large bat wings unfolding from behind her as she prepared to fly.

A pair of snow-white wings fluttered open behind the male, feathers ruffling slightly. Knowledge may have been the elder, but he was more than content to let the younger lead in her attempt to resurrect her lost lover. "Why, you'd want the Flame Alchemist, naturally!" he replied. "Who better to rescue the lost arts than the one who once lost everything himself?"

"Ha ha, very funny," she said, prepping for a good running takeoff. "Now are you gonna tell me what I need to convince him or what?"

"But of course," he said, following. "All you'll need to tell him is that you know where Edward Elric is."

* * *

Kayla: Dude, why is Ed so important?

Lela: That's what we have the next chapter for. And by the way, it'll likely be a good Sonya-thing for a while, seeing as she's gonna meet up with Roy and everyone else...

Sonya: *opens Ace's reviews* NO MORE! STOP PUSHING THE BUTTON! YOU'RE GONNA MAKE HER BLAST OFF INTO CANADA!

Ace: DON'T LISTEN TO HER, I WANNA GO TO CANADA!


	2. 2: Connecting Some Missing Dots

Ace: SO... MANY... REVIEWS! *falls onto floor, dead, twitching, and foaming at the mouth*

Sonya: ... Is this normal?

Greed: Nope!

Kayla: NANANANANANANA, SUPER KAYLA!

Ed: Kayla, no-

Kayla: TO THE KAYLA-CAVE! *runs off*

Roy: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *comes running out of bathroom*

Envy: THAT IS SO NOT RIGHT! *also comes running from bathroom*

Havoc: I'M SO NOT TAKING A BATHROOM BREAK ANYMORE! *keeps running back to do more paperwork*

Sonya: HA! SUCK IT FOR STEALING ALL OUR CHEEZ-WHIZ!

Roy: I WILL NEVER BE CLEAN, I WILL NEVER BE CLEAN!

Envy: *hides behind Lela, who is sleeping in the corner somewhere in the dark evil basement of doom*

Roy: Hey look, a fire! *runs off to go look at fire*

Greed: ... Did he just-?

Sonya: Oh yeah.

Greed: ANYWAYS, WE'RE NOT ANSWERING REVIEWS!

Sonya: Yeah, no way we're dealing with all 22 of them, so instead, we'll just give all you reviewers honorable mentions and move on with our lives.

Greed: Thank you to DarkVampirePrincess8 (1 review), CSI Aphrodite (3 reviews), Furorensu-Chan (2 reviews), inuluna (1 review), neoko-chan (an unnatural number of reviews, 15; if it was 17, we all would have lost _the Game_), and EternalHypernova (1 review). If you had a specific request you would like Ace and the rest of us to deal with, please, LEAVE IT IN ANOTHER REVIEW.

Sonya: Blah blah blah, Ace5980 does not own FullMetal Alchemist. Just get on with reading, ya moochers!

* * *

2: Connecting Some Missing Dots

Sonya lounged about on the couch, idly waiting. Knowledge had decided to remain on the roof, lucky devil, which left her for the monotonous and boring task of waiting for Roy Mustang to return to his office. Over the course of her years with Knowledge, she'd perfected the art of swapping around her vision filters at will, and she was currently using it to look about the area in terms of heat instead of light, her red eyes glowing faintly in the oppressing darkness. For about the fifth time in as many minutes, she reached up to adjust the hooded cloak Knowledge had given her to disguise her bat ears from unpermitted scrutiny.

She heard the footsteps approaching and closed her eyes, rapidly shifting from heat vision to no vision. She didn't want to be blinded by the shift of light, so it was better for her to be blind on her own terms. Underneath her hood, her ears stiffened, catching the unique sound of the tumblers moving in the door as the man who could only be Roy Mustang came into his office, flicked on the light, and froze at the sight of her. "Do close the door," she offered to him lightly, "I have a proposition for you."

The alchemist made no move to close the door. "It is of no matter of consequence if my team overhears whatever it is you want to tell me."

"Oh no," she said, "looking" at her nails in what was supposed to be an uncaring manner but instead revealed to her that her hand was trembling, "this is for my colleague, not confidentiality. We couldn't care less if your entire team knew what we tell you. No, but my comrade is uncomfortable interacting with human society and only agreed to come if he was dealing with small numbers."

"You say that as though he isn't human."

"He's not and neither am I. I was once, many years ago, but not now."

"What are you then? Chimeras? Homunculi?"

"We are angels who know how to find Edward Elric."

The door slammed shut then, and Sonya smirked. Knowledge was so rarely wrong, especially about the matters of human feelings. Blinking away her blindness, she brought the office into focus and opened a window as wide as it could go. Promptly after she'd gotten out of the way, he corkscrewed in, twisting in midair so that he could land on his feet. He had changed his appearance some to prevent Roy from realizing their close similarity and didn't bother to even try concealing the wings he folded neatly against his back. "See, Justice? I _told_ you this would work."

"Shut up, Knowledge. Just because you're almost always right doesn't mean you should rub it in my face."

"So angels are named after abstract concepts, just like the homunculi were?" Roy asked, looking between the two.

Sonya's hand fisted at the comparison to the homunculi, remembering how she'd always teased Greed about not really having a real human name like she did. "Sort of," she answered gruffly. "I still use my human name, Sonya, since I only discovered I was an angel five years ago."

Roy stiffened, remembering the sole tidbit Al had been able to coax out of Edward the night Kayla had disappeared. Ed had said they'd clashed briefly with a falling angel who'd lost everything. Until now, it'd only seemed like insane rambling, but combined with what he'd heard from the pair, it was likely one of them, perhaps Sonya, had been involved with the incident. "So one of you two were the last to see Kayla, other than Edward himself, before she left."

"Left?" Knowledge chortled, doubling over. "That's rich. Kayla was a wolf chimera. Since wolves mate for life and are very protective of their mate, she would never have even remotely entertained the notion of leaving him for much more than a moment, let alone five years. No, she was kidnapped, and there was nothing either of them could've done to save her."

"So you were the one who fought them?"

"No," Sonya stated dully, "I did that when I wasn't... myself." Seeing Roy's skeptical look, her eyes narrowed. "Why don't _you_ try coming home to what you know for certain is the whole-sale slaughter of your friends, only to find their bodies had been burned to such a fine ash that you couldn't distinguish whose remains were whose and _then_ see how unhinged that'll make you."

Roy had a sickened look on his face from her ghastly account of how the Military had purposely defiled bodies in such a time-consuming manner so as to prevent a proper burial, but she continued. "All I could think about as I carefully gathered up the ashes and buried them was how that damn alchemist must've led Wrath right to us. It's only in the past year that I realized he was as much of a victim as we were, that the whole thing had been one big, disastrous coincidence, that my sole measure of justice had been taken from me already. It gave me some closure, but I don't want or need closure. I just want my lover back."

Roy blinked at that, horrified at the damage King Bradley had done to this woman's psyche. Judging by the shocked look on Knowledge's face, she had just bared more of her inner workings there than she had in five years. He cleared his throat then, sliding his usual mask into place. "So what connection is there between Edward and Sonya's lover? Are they being held at the same place or what?"

Sonya jerked to a standing position, trembling violently. "YOU INSENSITIVE PRICK!" she yelled, "GREED'S DEAD AND LONG GONE!"

Knowledge put a hand on her shoulder, a subtle reminder for her to keep it together. She shook it off, understanding the message but not wanting his comfort. "Edward can't bring him back, you know," Roy said quietly.

She snorted. "Edward's hardly my prize. I have a rather different goal in mind than a burned-out alchemist."

* * *

Sonya: YAY, I LOVE IT WHEN THE CHAPTERS ARE ALL ABOUT ME!

Roy: I just love how I'm guest-appearing for the next several.

Greed: Well, actually, from here on in, you're a regular part of the cast.

Roy: SWEET!

Greed: ... which means Furorensu-Chan will be able to stalk you EVERY chapter.

Roy: Not sweet. Can I go home now?

Sonya: Is Hawkeye not gonna shoot you for burning your paperwork to a find crisp?

Roy: ... Um, about that...

Greed: And on that happy note, reviewers this time get some kind of magical reward!

Sonya: I just love how specific you are there.

Greed: I know right? *kisses Sonya*

Roy: *now traumatized for life* Please review. It might make Ace wake up and stop this from happening. *proceeds to curl into a ball in an attempt to hide from the graphicness of the scene before him*


	3. 3: Chimeras, Angels, and Alchemists

Ace: *randomly sits up* Hey look, more reviews!

Greed: SCORE! Furorensu-Chan says I'm right about something!

Ace: And thanks for the congrats, I guess.

Roy: Um, I really didn't need to know that, neoko-chan. But, since I am such a hot item... *hides under chair with twig to fend off those who are stalking him*

Lela: YAY FOR THE LOVE!

Sonya: I really hate you sometimes. I just don't have any love.

Ace: AND I WILL NOT STOP TEASING YOU FOR ANOTHER STORY INSTALLMENT AFTER THIS ONE! SO HA! I'm gonna go hide now...

Kayla: DOUBLE YAY FOR MORE LOVE!

Sonya: WHY?

Ace: Oh yeah, CSI Aphrodite, I woke up. I do that for sugar and reviews. *sticks out tongue*

Sonya: Suddenly I feel so much more loved now that I know I have a fan.

Greed: WHAT AM I, CHOPPED LIVER?

Envy: Yeah, pretty much.

Greed: AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN, MUSTANG STOLE FROM ME! *begins straining to get out of Sonya's restraints*

Ace: And um, I did kinda update, but if I told you what's gonna happen, there wouldn't be a point in updating.

Sonya: However, we all do know I am badass enough to resurrect dead people.

Ed: Ace5980 does not own FullMetal Alchemist.

Ace: Where've you and Envy been?

Ed: Um, nowhere.

Kayla: I DEMAND YOU TELL ME! *tackles*

* * *

3: Chimeras, Angels, and Alchemists

"What is your purpose then, Sonya?"

She sighed, looking out the window conflictedly. "I'm looking for the person who first discovered the formula to make angels, my original creator of sorts. She never meant for me to be changed and actually only figured out the formula because she was bored. It wasn't even entirely her fault I ended up like this, yet she still holds herself responsible. If that feeling of responsibility is what gets my lover back, then so be it."

Roy could understand her drive to do absolutely anything to keep the people she loved safe. "Fine. I'll help you. What's the plan?"

Knowledge smirked. "Well, as it happens, everyone's target is close enough to warrant only one trip. However, we don't want to advertise that there's a pair of angels in Central, so the fewer people that come with us, the better. Justice and I will be coming, naturally."

"It would help if you told me a little more about where we're storming or how you two operate," Roy grumbled.

Sonya smirked now. "If we told you even a fraction of our capabilities, combat or otherwise, your brain would implode long before we came close to finishing. For all intents and purposes, you can just consider me a swordsman and Knowledge an archer."

"Archer? Not a sharpshooter?"

"Bow and arrow," Knowledge confirmed. Seeing Roy's skeptical look, he added, "Trust me, I'm just as dangerous as any elite sharpshooter, if not more so. We have more than a few abilities to put us eons ahead of even the most talented mortal."

"I'll take Alex Armstrong and Jean Havoc, Knowledge. You'll do better with Roy and Riza anyway."

"Good," the alchemist said. "Each group'll have an angel, an alchemist, and a gun with them." He cleared his throat, adopting a tactician's aspect to better direct this. "Now, do you think you could give me some kind of blueprints-"

Sonya twisted faster than the eye could follow, even Knowledge's, her sword materializing to pin Roy's uniform to the wall. "We may be working together on this, _Flame_, but you should remember that I always lead. I'll take point. Knowledge will be the one to fill you in on the details of his cunning plan. Disobey me and I will personally cut your heart from your chest right after I castrate you with a cactus and sandpaper."

"Fine, but know this, angel. If you lead any of my people astray, I will burn you to such a fine powder that no one will ever be able to even remotely identify the remains."

The two locked eyes for one long moment, evaluating the fire burning in each soul before she yanked back her sword, releasing him. "Gather your men. We'll be waiting."

* * *

"An angel! A real, perfect angel!"

"For all your talk of angels, she still slumbers with no sign of awakening."

"I followed everything Paradox told me, right down to the letter! The only solution I have received was that this angel would awaken when she came into contact with another angel's blood!"

"Which is why we are permitting you to try to summon one using the formula, but I assure you, if you fail, you will not live to see the consequences."

"Trust me, Paradox hasn't led us wrong yet."

* * *

"The time grows nearer, Justice."

"We'll give them five more minutes."

"You're pushing your luck, Justice."

"You say that as if I have something left to lose." The younger angel looked up from her hands, hearing sounds too quiet for any ears but hers. "They're coming." She handed her cloak to Knowledge as they had agreed. Roy would be the only one to know they were really angels; the pair had decided it would prove simpler for Knowledge to pretend to be a dove-chimera than for everyone to be brought up to speed on Sonya's unique situation.

The first thing that happened when the humans came around the corner was that Riza's gun pressed against Sonya's temple. "Where is Edward?" she asked coldly, then became aware of a cold blade pricking against her neck.

Final Judgment gleamed in Sonya's hand, looking decidedly macabre against Riza's skin. "Just put it down, Riza Hawkeye," the angel said slowly and assuredly. "We may be horribly outnumbered, but you're viciously outclassed." Slowly, the gun meandered its way back to its holster, but the sword disappeared in an impressive dexterous twirl of Sonya's fingers. The subtle message was inherent. The two strangers must have possessed very dangerous qualities to them if they were unafraid of the immediate threat posed to them by the cold barrel of a sniper's handgun.

"So," Jean interrupted casually, a cigarette, miraculously unlit, stuck in his mouth, "what're we getting into _this_ time?" Roy glared at him. "What?" he said unapologetically. "Last time we went off on a secret mission, we dealt with homunculi." Sonya flinched visibly at that last word. "I just want a vague notion of what we're dealing with."

Sonya laughed, a cruel off-sounding thing. "We're dealing with the same three things I've dealt with all my life."

"And that would be?" Alex prompted.

"Chimeras, angels, and alchemists," she supplied. "The only question is whether they'll prove to be friend or foe."

* * *

Sonya: Wow. Epic, no?

Greed: Blah blah blah, I just have one question.

Ace: Shoot.

Greed: Who's Paradox?

Ace: I DENY KNOWLEDGE!

Knowledge: But I'm right here! *runs away*

Roy: So where's the kitty and the shrimp and the wolf and the palm tree?

Sonya: Oh, my sisters are currently torturing their significant others to find out what they were doing.

Roy: *blinks* Is that even legal?

Greed: Who knows, who cares?

Ace: Okay, you two, do reward!

Sonya: Those of you who review will get the location of Roy's crappy hidey-hole to scar him for life or whatever. Just do it! I wanna watch so bad!

Greed: DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!

Ace: CANDY, CANDY, CANDY!

Roy: OH SNAP! I'M SO OUTTA HERE! *runs away with little defense twig*


	4. 4: Justice Without Due Process

Sonya: *sing-song voice* Oh Ace? Where are you?

Greed: *mimicking Sonya* You're so dead... once we find you...

Kayla: Nah, she's too smart for that. She already offered her apologies for updating late, and also says she's not coming out until she gets a guarantee she won't get murdered.

Sonya: I don't feel like it.

Lela: Oh yeah, and she gave me this! *waves magical chapter in air*

Greed: Finally! Now we can do reviews!

Roy: Um, Furorensu-Chan, my stick is totally awesome and can save me from whatever you may do to me.

Lela: ...

Roy: HEY, IT WORKED AGAINST FULLMETAL!

*note: Edo was actually "sick" that day due to Kayla going all ninja on him in the bubble bath with melted chocolate... and licking it off slowly...*

Lela: And yes, CSI Aphrodite, she's not asleep anymore, but, yeah, she's currently terrified for her life, so I don't think she's all too eager to come out yet.

Sonya: Double yay for love! I get confetti and badassery!

Greed: I'M GONNA KILL YOU, MUSTANG! *barely restrained by Sonya*

Roy: Oh shit. *runs away*

Sonya: *releases Greed* Hah! See, Lela, I do rock! Neoko-chan loves my line, which is one of Ace's favorites too, where I threaten Mustang. Too bad it'll all be in vain...

Lela: NO SPOILERS! *whacks on head*

Kayla: I rock! Guitar Hero told me so!

Lela: Hey, do you think Ace'll come out for cookies?

Sonya: How the hell should I know? I'm not her keeper.

Lela: No, but you're failing at the job you're supposed to be doing.

Sonya: Meh, Greed won't kill him.

Kayla: Can I has a cookie?

Sonya: Sure, I like Randomness, you may be part of the insane group robbing Wal-mart and stealing the boob guy's stolen Chez-whiz and whipped cream. You probably won't get mentioned in here though, _Luna_.

Lela: *stares at Ice Bird Alchemist's review, eyes huge, and suffers massive nosebleed*

Sonya: If you don't want the hidey-hole crap, can I have it?

Kayla: Ace would also like to thank you because you were the one who motivated her to put this up. We salute you. *salutes with dumb look on face*

Sonya: Ace5980 does not own FullMetal Alchemist.

Lela: *runs off with nosebleed*

Kayla: SQUIRREL! *runs off chasing squirrel*

Sonya: I guess I better go stop Greed. *stops off after the two*

* * *

4: Justice Without Due Process

Even though Sonya and Knowledge took separate cars, both of the rides were quiet and uneventful. The fact Knowledge knew everything meant any casual conversation with the weakly-disguised angel was quickly resolved. On the other hand, Sonya's tight focus and obvious disconnect from her immediate surroundings effectively ended any attempts to engage her before they even began. For her, the prospect of ending this five year nightmare was enough to sober her to reality. For him, the burden of knowledge merely had some side effects such as this and he was well-used to it by now.

When they arrived at their destination, a dilapidated factory gate several miles outside Central, the two angels conversed quietly to the side. Sonya seemed agitated, gesturing wildly, but Knowledge held firm. Startling the others, Sonya's large bat wings unfolded, and she flapped erratically over the spiked gate, landing in a crouch and stalking away. "Change of plans," the male angel explained to the dumb-struck humans, "Justice is going to be scouting ahead of us, independent of our efforts."

"What did you tell her?" Roy demanded, poignantly remembering her explicit threat to ensure her authority. Sonya wouldn't just go back on something like that, he was certain.

Knowledge looked away shamefully. "I told her that they'd created an angel... and were about to try again," he muttered quietly. He did not tell them the other part of what he'd revealed to the other angel, the part about these mortals knowing how to kill angels. There was only two ways to go about the deed, and they knew the easier one. To forever kill an angel, all you had to do was... He shook he his, forcing himself away from the thought. Everything would be find. It had to be.

* * *

"There's been a perimeter breach. One female, a bat chimera."

"It looks like Justice decided to skip all the due process this time around. No matter. Proceedings will still go ahead as planned, but as a precaution, release the mutts. They'll prove themselves both ample distraction and ample sport to their fellow hunter, wouldn't you agree?"

* * *

An eerie howl went up along the party, causing the humans to freeze and the angel to propel himself into the sky and manifest himself a brilliant golden bow with gleaming silver arrow already nocked. The tension in the air was suffocating as they waited for another howl to sound, which it did. "What the hell?" Jean whispered nervously, his hand fisted on the holster of his gun so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"Chimeras," Roy spat in distaste, recognizing the sound, poised to snap.

"Lovely," Alex murmured, scanning their surroundings anxiously as Riza cocked her gun loudly beside him. A cluster of silver arrows, however, proved to be the first weapons discharged, burying themselves in several approaching animals the archer had seen coming long before the others had. Riza studied the shots with an approving eye; she would have been hard-pressed to match any one of them herself, even with a scope.

"Keep moving," Knowledge said dully. "I've got everyone covered." Slowly, the humans advanced, their approach occasionally heralded by a silver arrow or two arching ahead of them. A light drizzle picked up, forcing Roy to hide his gloves in his pocket and Knowledge's aim to go from impossibly accurate to extremely accurate. The angel's wings darkened slightly, but since the feathers weren't deteriorating, he remained an airborne threat. Catching the Flame's eye, he yanked out a pair of feathers and murmured, "Rub it on your ignition gloves, the oils'll keep them dry."

Roy had no sooner done that when a small group of wolves materialized before them. The archer hurriedly shot both of the browns but left the dull gray one. The wolf may have been too far away to properly see its eyes, but somehow, the alchemist knew they would be yellow, like a predator. "Kayla!" he called to it, and the creature froze, staring at him. Embodied, he called again. "Kayla!"

* * *

The first time the name was called, Specimen 17 froze, shaking off her current obedience. She knew that voice. It wasn't Edward, whoever he was, but it was someone important. The drugs in her system made it hard to concentrate, but she managed to extract a snippet of memory. This man, his name was Colonel Roy Mustang, was good. She trotted over dazedly, a little hopeful wag in her tail.

* * *

"_This_ is what Fullmetal spent so long looking for?" Jean blurted, seeing the dirty gray fur and glazed yellow eyes.

"She's been drugged up to her gills to keep her here, Havoc," Roy said, running a bare hand gently through her fur. "It's a miracle she even remembered I wasn't an enemy."

"Roy have gold metal?" she asked childishly, staring up at him.

It took him a moment to figure out what she was talking about. "Sorry, Kayla," he murmured dejectedly, "I don't know where Edwar- Fullmetal is."

Her tail drooped. "No Edward?"

Knowledge landed then in a flurry of bedraggled damp feathers. "Not exactly. You can find Edward, Kayla. You're the only one who can."

The wolf chimera and the angel looked at each other for a long moment before she dipped her head, inhaled the scent of the fabric, and bounded off, stopping at the top of the hill and patiently waiting for them to follow. Shrugging, Roy started after her and the rest fell in behind him, Knowledge using his great white white wings to propel himself back into the air. Nothing else challenged them, but Knowledge didn't exactly tell them he'd come here last night to take potshots at any and all chimeras he could, nor of the epic fight Sonya'd had with a pack of chimeras with rotting wings barely strong enough to lift their misshaped bodies off the ground.

* * *

Ed: *crawls over* Are they gone?

Envy: *in similar condition* I think so.

Ed: They tortured us.

Envy: And all we did was go looking for Narnia.

Ed: Reviews will be met with, uh...

Envy: This lion pelt I found there.

Ed: Found?

Envy: It's a long story.

Ed: Okay then. Let's just go find a nice hiding place then, shall we?

Envy: Yes, let's.

*a few moments later*

Kayla: OMFG, WHERE'S EDWARD?

Lela: WHERE'S ENVY? You know, other than his normal murdering people thing, but normally he leaves a note!

Kayla: I HAVE TO FIND HIM! *runs off*

Lela: *pouting* I was gonna make him my plushee...


	5. 5: The Heart's Greatest Desires

Lela: ENVY, YOU DON'T KILL ASLAN! *smacks upside head*

Envy: I DIDN'T KILL ASLAN!

Sonya: Hey look, we're on again!

Greed: FINALLY!

Roy: *quivers in corner*

Kayla: Okay, and Ace is still terrified of you readers killing her, so she gave Ed the chapter for today.

Ed: *waves chapter*

Kayla: Review answering time!

Ed: CSI Aphrodite, Ace did want your cookies, but she's still terrified to come out for the next couple of chapters because of all the stuff that goes on.

Sonya: I LOVE BEING POPULAR!

Kayla: Well duh, that's gonna happen!

Greed: Um, not quite...

Kayla: SHUT UP! *smacks Greed over head with frying pan*

Envy: And yes, you can come to Narnia with us, but for the last time, I DIDN'T KILL ASLAN! He was dead when I got there, honestly.

Kayla: Thanks for the encouragement, Furorensu-chan, I will find Ed soon!

Roy: *stares at stick in shock* My no-rape stick. *cries*

Envy: Listen, neoko-chan, we appreciate the help, but we hate that boob-guy.

Sonya: I love how no one's figured out who he is. I mean, come on, he's mentioned in the story!

Kayla: *pouting* And I did not eat the cake. That was Greed.

Greed: *still unconscious so he is unable to defend himself*

Lela: Ari, I think you're the only smart one there, please make sure neoko-chan doesn't steal something from Greed, or call Envy ugly, or insult Ed, or anything else, got it? Ace likes reviews, even if she is in a bomb shelter right now.

Ed: Ace5980 does not own FullMetal Alchemist.

* * *

5: The Heart's Greatest Desires

Lela's eyes blearily opened, and she groaned, the tip of her tail twitching. Rapidly, she ran through the things she knew. She'd been kidnapped by alchemists, no doubt for some kind of horrible experiment. She was strapped to some kind of clear plastic inscribed with a transmutation circle. She was naked. All of this was simple fact to the chimera. She had to devise something and she had to do it fast. Her blurry eyes picked up a golden heap on the floor under hers, the alchemist she distinctly recalled from the Fifth Lab, with a large black wolf and spotless gold leopard pacing the outside of the circle. Above her was a bunch of red dust with a black panther and above that was a small platform with a black and white pile of limbs, all beneath a large golden sarcophagus inscribed with alchemy circles.

Brain spinning, she overlapped the designs in her head and visibly paled. Individually, the four circles would prove dangerous to whatever was inside them, but together, their sole purpose was to literally shred apart the very boundary between this world and the next. Her head fell against the floor, and she felt the cool metal of her collar press against her chest. Her ears drooped. The fact her collar had been left on when her clothes hadn't been surely wasn't a good sign.

* * *

Sonya crashed through the glass ceiling, landing heavily. Panicked men shot at her, but she ignored the superficial stinging of the bullets in favor of dusting herself off and manifesting Final Judgment. "This is your first and final warning," she said darkly, her body healing in a display of white sparks, "leave this forbidden place now or suffer the eternal torment of Justice and the Final Judgment."

Only one man didn't take the way out offered to them, the alchemist. "Paradox is outside the jurisdiction of Justice. You cannot touch me!" She lunged, but in an impossible movement for a mortal, she was thrown into an alchemy circle as it activated, causing her back to arch and her to let out a piercing scream as her angelic nature tried to fight the foreign pull of the alchemy.

* * *

Knowledge gasped, his wings momentarily faltering. Paradox was here? That was impossible! But yet, it made so much sense. If Paradox's influence extending this far even now, that would explain why the carrot had been dangled the way it had. There was only one option. Paradox was coming and he had to fight it. _I'm sorry_, he thought as he sped ahead of the others, _but this fight is mine and mine alone._

The bottom array lit up first, using the energy gaining in its alchemy transmutation to fuel the next one, Lela's. From there, it would travel from the chimera to the dust to the lump and then into whatever entity lurked within the sarcophagus. Lela saw only one way to stop the oncoming catalyst, one way to save the others, one way to prevent true evil from leaking into the world.

* * *

_Sonya twitched as she awoke, opening her eyes to a familiar white nothingness. "Hello again, Truth," she called. "I know you can hear me. Nothing goes on here without your awareness."_

_The Truth smiled, appearing beside the Gate with his eternal puzzle of the universe. "Justice, what a wonderful surprise! It is so wonderful to see you again, yet so horrible that you should return to me in such a premature manner."_

_"I didn't understand exactly what you just said, but I'm gonna take it as a compliment."_

_The Truth laughed. "Oh Justice, ever the entertainment! You know many of the other angels have taken to watching you and your sisters. One of them, Grace, has even taken it upon herself to chronologe your adventures."_

_"Has she decided how it will end yet?"_

_"In due time, Justice, in due time."_

_"Do me a favor and tell me how it ends, would you?"_

_"But Justice," the Truth said, getting up as he began to disappear, "what's the point of reading a story if you already know how it ends?"_

_"Honestly, does this guy get all his philosophy from fortune cookies or something?" she groaned._

_"It wouldn't surprise me."_

_Her red eyes widened, and she whirled around. "Greed!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms and burying her face in his chest like she'd wanted to for years._

_"I know, Sonya," he whispered, stroking her hair, "I know. But we don't have long before I have to go and there's something I need you to do for me."_

_"Anything," she promised rashly, her eyes wet._

_"I need you to find Charity," he whispered, and then he was gone as though he had never existed in the first place._

* * *

Lela somehow managed to work one arm free without hurting herself too badly. Sorry Envy, she thought, but like all mortals, my time is up. Without sparing another thought, she moved unnaturally quickly, digging her claws into the soft skin of her throat and severing the cord connecting her body to her soul, all to save the very world that had forsaken her.

* * *

Ed: *crawls over* Are they gone?

Envy: *in similar condition* I think so.

Ed: Where'd Sonya go?

Envy: Said something about taking Greed to the hospital.

Kayla: And where's Lela?

Envy: She went to take Roy to therapy.

Ed: Suddenly I am concerned about my virginity.

Kayla: YOU STILL HAVE IT? *nosebleeds and faints*

Ed: I'm gonna go take her to the hospital now... *runs off before Envy can respond*

Envy: Darn. I was gonna help Kayla rape him. Now all I gotta do is come up with a reward. Hmmm... let's offer up Lela plushees, 'kay? If you don't want it, give it to me. It makes the nights hurt less. *gets hit with paper ball* Oh fine, Ace says if you don't want it, you can go to Narnia, ungrateful brats...


	6. 6: The River of Sorrows

Envy: *reading script on back of biology quiz with large 70 on it* Okay, Ace is still afraid of being murdered because she killed off character(s), so she's not coming out for another chapter, and that's only if the reviewers promise not to kill her off. Meanwhile, Roy's in therapy for the breaking of his "no-rape stick", Ed's in rape-therapy, Kayla's in Rapers Anonymous, Lela's dead *sob*, and Sonya and Greed are currently doing unspeakable things in the hospital, *mutters "Aw damn, why can't Lela and I have a hospital trip?"*

Knowledge: I will be helping to answer the reviews, in addition to...

Havoc: Me!

Armstrong: ME WITH ALL MY SPARKLES!

Riza: And me. Oh joy.

Knowledge: Okay, CSI Aphrodite is first. We already established where Ace is, and yeah, Sonya's life really sucks, and it doesn't get better in chapter 8.

Riza: *cocks gun* No spoilers.

Havoc: And yeah, Charity's important, but she's not in this chapter.

Armstrong: I don't really know what to say about Lela's suicide. I don't really know this chic.

Envy: I WILL NOW PROCEED TO RUN AWAY BEFORE YOU ASK MY REACTION! *runs away*

Knowledge: And yes, you may bring your weasel minions to Narnia with you.

Armstrong: THEN HERE IS YOUR LELA PLUSHEE, MADE WITH THE TECHINQUE PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE GENERATIONS!

Riza: That goes to Furorensu-chan.

Armstrong: I knew that. *hands plushee to correct person*

Havoc: And you shouldn't tell that to the Colonel... it might make him fear therapy in addition to whatever he's going to therapy for in the first place.

Knowledge: And Ace regrets killing Lela, but she redeems herself, sort of, in this chapter.

Envy: *comes back* Rawr, Ace wasn't gonna do any more up here, but then she got another review. Thanks neoko-chan. Thanks a lot. I'll also be sure to tell Greed once he gets back from the hospital that he needs to go get his cock sporked off, but I'm not saying anything else 'cuz I don't want to die. In fact... *runs off again so he doesn't get killed and to look for a leftover Lela plushee*

Havoc: Oh, and if Kayla were here, she'd go all rabid on you too because you just called Ed short. She does that. *shivers at memory*

Armstrong: Remember the time-

Everyone else: YES.

Riza: Ace also appreciates the marshmallow launcher and intends to use it if things don't turn out amicably. Now that we got that settled, let's move onto what she already had, shall we?

Havoc: Ace5980 does not own FullMetal Alchemist.

Armstrong: *sparkle sparkle rose-petal-who-thinks-he's-a-sparkle sparkle-who-thinks-he's-a-rose-petal* NOW READ THE STORY, YOU GREAT PEOPLE!

Riza: *disturbed look on face* Remind me why we have to do this again...

* * *

6: The River of Sorrows

"_Wisdom!" Knowledge cried, running into the older girl's arms and burying himself happily in her embrace._

_The angel returned his enthusiasm instantly, her body on autopilot, and her eyes were distant and sorrowful. "I love you, Knowledge. You know that, right? I love you, and I always will."_

_He frowned, pulling back a little to look at her. "What's wrong, Wisdom? Why are you saying that like it's a goodbye?"_

"_I'm not coming back, Knowledge," the female whispered. "I will meet my death at the hands of the ones I once called friends, an event that is eminent on the horizon. Perhaps it may be years later, but it _will_ happen."_

"_NO!" he cried, clinging to her. "I don't want you to go!"_

"_I have to go, love," she murmured, kissing his forehead. "Remember, while I will meet my death at the hands of an enemy, yours will come at the hands of a friend.

* * *

_

Knowledge's wings ached by the time he found where Sonya had crash-landed, yet he was relieved he had even managed to find her at all. The angel landed heavily, folding his wings delicately across his back, then yelped in surprise and pain. His fingers scrabbled desperately at his chest in vain, snapping the shaft but proving unable to pull the arrow of Stygian ice from his body. "Damn you, Paradox," he gasped, his hand falling heavily on Sonya's transmutation circle, "Damn you." There is, after all, nothing an angel can do to survive anything taken from the River Styx, the river of death.

* * *

Kayla was really confused, and in all honesty, suffering. So far today, she'd been shot at, turned traitor, nearly crushed by a large muscular shirt-less guy, almost choked to death on a sparkle, and now she'd lost the trail among the maze of corridors. The others were just as edgy, anxious since the angel had flown off but committed to the mission, regardless of the cost. Closing her eyes, she thought hard about the pools of liquid gold, concentrating solely on his essence. Her tail shot up and she shot off like a rocket, the humans running to keep up with her. Something was wrong; she could feel it in her soul.

* * *

Knowledge, wings sagging heavily behind him, limped into the main experiment room, ignoring the lower circle. Wearily, he flapped his wings but only managed to advance one tier before falling to the ground, too weak to fly. The dying angel looked up to see a boy with jet-black cat ears and a slender black tail kneeling beside the lifeless form of Lela Animalia, unaware of the tears coursing down his face of Knowledge's clumsy unplanned landing. "Lela, Lela, please," he begged, tracing her face tenderly, "come back to me. I love you. I'm strong enough to hold you now, to properly deserve you now. I, I just don't want to be alone again."

* * *

Sonya groaned as she pushed herself up off concrete, wincing. No matter how bad of a headache she had though, it wouldn't be enough to slow the instant flick of Final Judgment through the human pawn's heart, even though she had to press her lips together to suppress a scream at the lance of pain from not using due process, but there was no way in hell she was pausing long enough to get transmuted again, not even to see Greed.

The angel froze, her heart fluttering, when she saw the flecks of drying ichor on the floor. It couldn't be true. It couldn't! Yet she could not deny the snow-white feathers strewn across the hall. Knowledge was injured. She stumbled to the entryway, eyes fixated on her male counterpart as he pulled himself over to the cat chimeras before disappearing in a shaft of golden light, his eyes closed and a smile on his face. "No," she whispered, sinking to the ground, her shoulders shaking from the force of her sobs. Sonya had gambled big, and she had lost everything.

* * *

If anyone had asked why Knowledge had given up his life for that of a complete stranger, he would have told them it had reminded him of himself all those years ago. No one did of course, but the angel couldn't help but feel his death was justified. Now, after all this time, he could finally be at peace with himself. He had done a good deed.

It was then as he felt the essence holding together at the edges fraying when he saw it. There, standing before him in all her glory, was his love, his angel, his companion-in-arms. "Wisdom," he breathed, delighting in her presence.

She smiled, caressing his cheek fondly with a hand. "You've done well without me, my little fox. You look good."

"I've missed you so much, love. Grace told me it would hurt to lose the one you loved, but never did I imagine such agony."

"Come on, Knowledge," she murmured sweetly, "it's time to come home."

* * *

Roy and the others did not see much of what had happened, but they did get to see the rare sight of an angel fading into nothingness. "Damn," Jean muttered, shocked at how calmly the immortal had carried himself into death.

"He deserves a hero's welcome, wherever he goes," Riza commented, her voice thick with tears.

"Knowledge will be sorely missed!" Alex lamented, his own tears falling unashamedly down his face.

Roy, on the other hand, decided to honor the angel the only way he thought he could. The alchemist vaguely remembered a prayer for the dead, and even though he didn't believe in God, he could put that aside for the angel. "Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem. Sempiternam." Somewhere off in the distance behind the words, a raven cawed as it landed beside a small forest stream...

* * *

Knowledge: WISDOM! *hugs Wisdom*

Wisdom: Heya, little fox.

Knowledge: I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!

Wisdom: I know, and if the reviewers ask for it, Ace might include us in the cut scenes.

Knowledge: YAY US! *the pair walk off*

Havoc: Okay, now there's three very important things we need to discuss today.

Riza: First off, Ace would like to tell you that there is an important poll that may determine the fate of this story on her profile. If you would like to continue reading, vote now.

Armstrong: Ace would also like to ask for fanart of her characters because she can't draw out of her head and her friend Kimbley won't draw them for her, even when she asked him to do Knowledge as a tribute. The only pre-request would be that she gets the link so that she can put it up for the rest of you to see.

Envy: WHERE'S MY LELA PLUSHEE?

Havoc: Um, we kinda didn't make extras...

Envy: *screams in agony*

Riza: *pats on shoulder* There there. Everyone comes back in the next two chapters, so...

Armstrong: Um, what do we give reviewers? *is hit on head by paper ball* AH! ACE HAS ALLOTED KNOWLEDGE PLUSHEES AS A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO THE ANGEL FOR REVIEWERS THIS CHAPTER!

Havoc: Please tell me Ace isn't in trouble anymore 'cuz I really don't want to ever do this again.

Riza: Likewise.

Armstrong: I think it manly and chivalrous to help a damsel in distress.

Havoc and Riza: ... Yeah, never again.


End file.
